Will Scott's Lies Catch Up With Him?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This is a partial transcript from "On the Record," August 25, 2004, that has been edited for clarity.
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GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST: In Detroit, defense attorney Geoff Fieger. And here in Washington are defense attorneys Bernie Grimm and Ted Williams.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Geoff, this discussion about [Scott Peterson] selling his house on January 22, about a month after his wife disappears, certainly sounds sinister. But on the other hand, he says, “There's no way, if Laci comes back, that we're going to want to stay here.”
What's your thought on this conversation?
GEOFFREY FIEGER, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Yes, that swishing sound you heard in the background was Scott Peterson flushing himself down the toilet because that's what he was doing. This is a guy who is enmeshed in the search for his wife and he lies to his entire family about his whereabouts, what he's doing.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}And I'll tell you this: The single most valuable asset that he and Laci owned was the home. And within days of her missing, he's thinking about selling it. First of all, he could never do it because her name is on it and while she's missing, nobody could ever dispose of an asset. That he's even thinking that — if any juror's got a brain in their head after hearing today's tapes and understanding that this guy was thinking about doing this and doesn't think that this guy — who would believe this guy did what he said he was doing in the bay that day, fishing, after hearing all those other lies? What would motivate that guy to ever tell the truth, Greta.
VAN SUSTEREN: Bernie, is there innocent explanation about selling this house? In terms of this tape, he can't sell the house, really, because her name's on the deed and they don't know where she is on January 22.
BERNIE GRIMM, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Right. And I think the person on the other end of the call says, “I think we need Laci's signature on it.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}But Geoff's twist all along has been Scott's a dog, therefore he's guilty. That makes sense. But if he's innocent and he didn't do it, it's completely reasonable. If my wife gets abducted, I don't want to be in that same house that the police have trampled for five or six times or where my wife is abducted within a half a mile of the place...
VAN SUSTEREN: Wouldn't you want to wait to ask her, though, whether she wants the house? I think the jury's probably sitting there thinking, “Well, Scott, why don't you wait and see whether she wants to stay in the house? Unless there's a financial reason.”
GRIMM: Well, my guess is, if Laci shows up — let's say there was a ransom reward and she comes back and says — you know, Laci, do you want the house? And she says, “Scott, I was abducted right out in front of the house. Do you think I want to live there?”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Maybe he's jumping the gun. I'll give you that. But I think it's a completely innocent explanation. I would go back...
VAN SUSTEREN: What about the lies? When you take that and the lies about where he is — they seem like dumb lies, but lies.
GRIMM: I would go back to what Jim said. You lie to Amber, who cares? It's Amber Frey. I mean, that's a whole 'nother garbage bag for Gloria.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VAN SUSTEREN: We'll get to Gloria in a minute.
GRIMM: Yes and a deeper one. But the point is, when he's lying to his own family, that's a pathology. He's lying to people about issues. He's saying, “I'm in Berkeley,” when he's in Fresno.
It doesn't even get him anywhere and he's lying about it.
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